Femoral osteotomies for avascular necrosis of the femoral head

Avascular necrosis of the femoral head affects 10,000 to 20,000 people every year and often these patients are in their 30s and 40s. The natural history of this disease is important to understand because the rate of femoral head collapse and treatment options are related to multiple factors including the cause of the disease, its stage at initial presentation, and the size and location of the lesion. Various treatment options have been purposed for different stages of avascular necrosis of the femoral head. Nonoperative treatments include protected weightbearing, electrical stimulation, and pharmacologic treatments. Operative treatment includes core decompression with or without grafting, debridement and grafting, osteotomy, fusion, hemiresurfacing, hemiarthroplasty, and total hip arthroplasty. The purpose of the current study was to discuss the history, indications, techniques, and results of proximal femoral osteotomies for the treatment of avascular necrosis of the femoral head.